I've been on a tear since 2019, feeling frustrated with myself

[KevWind]

Perhaps because I have always had multiple interests. I have been pretty good about my GAS I have 4 diverse acoustics and two different electrics and I don't see myself increasing this number So I guess one could say my GAS is in remission

[sayheyjeff]

For many years I had a ‘magic number’ of 4 guitars and a 1 in and 1 goes discipline. After settling in to retirement and getting comfortable with our financials, I have loosened up on that quite a bit. Have 6 acoustics and a hollow body electric in house. The electric doesn’t get played as much since COVID but all the others get played at least 4-5 times a week. Feel pretty good about that, but probably wouldn’t sell any just to return to my old limit. Could imagine trading or adding once or twice more if something particularly special and interesting showed up within my spending limits.

Jeff

[AfterViewer]

You quite seriously need help. GuitarSHRINK.com can be the perfect solution.

[tbeltrans]

If I had to choose one guitar in my collection today as my musical focus, it would be the least expensive of the bunch - my Ibanez AF95FM archtop that I paid a couple hundred for via Craig's List.

The reason for this is that I have been gravitating more and more to chord melody and away from acoustic fingerstyle. I find that, at least for me, exploring the lush harmonies, the myriad ways of putting harmony under the melody is far more interesting than anything I have done with fingerstyle acoustic.

There is one musical area, rather small and focused, that I do enjoy. This is the arrangements for classical guitar of Scott Joplin's work by Giovanni De Chiaro. These are all published by Mel Bay in one volume as the complete works. He recorded 4 albums that include all of the arrangements in the Mel Bay book and I have never tired of listening to these.

So, that makes two guitars - the Ibanez and the Huss & Dalton 00 12 fret as the keepers based on musical style.

Of course, a few days from now, I could feel very differently, which explains why I have a collection of guitars. However, no matter where I wander musically, I am always coming back to these two musical pursuits.

Tony

[Hurricane Bob]

I have over a dozen guitars now and there is maintenance to be done daily, I need to thin the herd and quit buying. But I could use a Martin.....

[rmp]

It's all relative you see..

I thought I had a lot of guitars... maybe too many..

Recently guy I know via one of these kind of forums showed me some pics of his collection.

he has over 300 stored away in a room he had built in his basement. Shelves from floor to ceiling lining the room, with a few step stools to reach the cases stored on the top shelfs. impressive!

Me? I'm at 18...

now I don't feel like I have so many.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Hi guys,

From 2016 to 2019 I owned 4 guitars (Martin 000-18MC and 000-28VS and Gibson J-45 Standard and L-1 Blues Tribute) and a Fender acoustic amp. No major purchases during that time. Before that was a 5 year gap with no purchases. In general, it has been a series of long gaps between musical purchases over a couple of decades, due to multiple factors.

Since 2019 I have added 7 more (Gibson L-00 Vintage and J-185 Original, National Triolian and Style 1, Fender Strat and Tele and a Gibson SG) and a Marshall amp and then gave away the L-1 to my daughter. So 10 guitars of mine in the house now plus lots of other musical stuff and darn it I was actually looking at a Martin 000-15SM lately!

It has to stop. This burst of endless GAS has not caused financial hardship, my wife is cool with it, they all get played regularly and this is my only hobby but seriously 10? I'd have to be completely bonkers to add another.

Anybody else have it this bad? I suspect not!

Too many guitars are a vexation of spirit. The problem is no one can tell you how many is too many, that's an individual decision.

I look at it from the point of view that I spend 99% of my playing time bonded with a single guitar. Not to philosophize too much, but it's a lot like finding the right mate to accompany us on our life's journey. I don't covet another woman and don't want a different guitar. There's something special about playing a guitar that you've become intimately familiar with.

Deciding on a "main player" means I don't have to do routine upkeep and maintenance on a bunch of instruments I don't normally play. That leaves me more time to enjoy simply playing my preferred guitar.

The good thing about this is it's a whole lot easier to switch guitars if/when your tastes change!

I understand that some people will never reach that point of contentment, so that's what classifieds are for.

I usually hover around half-dozen, but that's so I can choose between acoustic 6 string, Nylon crossover, resophonic slide, electric 6 string, and electric ahort scale fretless and fretted bass guitar.

In my defense I do play a diverse range of music: Piedmont blues, claasic ragtime, RGD style gospel, Caribbean tunes ala Spence, slide, standards, all manner of rock (punk, progressive, new wave, alternative, classic) and metal so its helps to have some choices of guitar to span those styles.

[rmp]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

In my defense I do play a diverse range of music: Piedmont blues, claasic ragtime, RGD style gospel, Caribbean tunes ala Spence, slide, standards, all manner of rock (punk, progressive, new wave, alternative, classic) and metal so its helps to have some choices of guitar to span those styles.

Hmmm... ya know, it kind a sounds like you aint got enough to cover all that!

LOL!

[Skip Ellis]

I have 3 nice acoustics (Martin 000-18, Brook Torridge, Brook Lyn), 3electrics (Ibanez AS153, partscaster Tele, home brew hollow jazz Tele). Lately I've started looking at the classifieds again - not sure why - I'm happy with what I have....except....I don't have a classical.......hhhmmmmm......

[jaymarsch]

My GAS used to show up in spurts. I love guitars and like you it is my only hobby. I got up to having 9 and then realized that, being in a small home, they just took up too much space. I downsized and now have 5 (one is being sold) 4 that I play regularly. I do not miss the others.
Obviously there are no rules about this but you are asking yourself the question so maybe there is something there to consider.
A friend of mine recently downsized her collection and said that it has freed her to focus on her songwriting. It’s such a personal thing and there are so many wonderful guitars to try out and to add to the herd, guitar acquisition is always so enticing to many of us enthusiasts.
Glad that you are enjoying all of yours.
Best,
Jayne

[tbeltrans]

Thee is a social solution to those with diverse musical interests and never enough guitars.

We have all heard of retirement communities - gated communities for the over 55 geezer crowd.

Why not a gated AND properly humidified community for guitar players? In the center of the community would be a LARGE building filled with every possible type of guitar, all owned by the community as a whole. There could be individual practice rooms like a music school and a large central area for various folks to get together and pick.

This situation would solve the problem of finding people to get together to play with as well as there never being enough diversity in one person's guitar collection. Curing GAS would simply be a matter of playing a different guitar for a while. Finding somebody to play with would simply be a matter of hanging out in that central building waiting for others to show up or even scheduling informal jam sessions by posting a notice on a bulletin board in that large area.

Problem solved by making the guitar a totally immersive lifestyle.

Tony

[TBman]

It's tough trying not to buy guitars. We play and play until our fingers hurt and then to relax we read the forum and look at pictures of guitars. Its so easy to buy a guitar online. I have 4 guitars on a rack behind me, one on a stand, one in a closet and 4 more in the basement. I could really just make do with the rack guitars and the one on the stand. 5 is a good number.

If I buy another I'd be in trouble (but I can trade/exchange, )

[jpd]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Hi guys,
It has to stop. This burst of endless GAS has not caused financial hardship, my wife is cool with it, they all get played regularly and this is my only hobby but seriously 10? I'd have to be completely bonkers to add another.
Anybody else have it this bad? I suspect not!

I'm going to disagree with you, Doug. If it's your passion(and your great playing shows it is!) and other factors are favorable...money situation, room to keep 'em...then I say more is not a problem! The problem is simple guilt...been there too. Thanks to my spouse, I get to continue in any way I decide...and that's the key- I get to decide

[CASD57]

Since 2015 when I picked up Acoustic playing(21yrs Elec) I've been on a journey to find what I want in an acoustic...Size-Sound-Neck-wood-laminated or Solid...etc., I hope I'm getting closer
I could not count how many guitars have come and gone in the last 7 years